Doffing mechanism for ring spinning, doubling, and twisting machines



Jan. 15, 1952 J. J. HAYTHORNTHWAITE 96 DOFFING MECHANISM FOR RINGSPINNING, 1

DOUBLING, AND TWISTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l1952 J. J. HAYTHORNTHWAITE 2,582,696

DOFFING MECHANISM FOR RING SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND TWISTING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1950 15, 1952 .1. .1. HAYTHORNTHWAITE 6DOFFING MECHANISM FOR RING SPINNING,

. DOUBLING, AND TWISTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet '51952 J. J. HAYTHORNTHWAITE ,696

' DQFFING MECHANISM FOR RING SPINNING,

DOUBLING, AND TWISTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ii.a?

N- k\\\\\\\ Y Jan. 15, 1952 J. J. HAYTHORNTHWAITE DOFFING MECHANISM FORRING SPINNING, DOUBLING, AND TWISTING MACHINES s Sheets-Sheet 5Filed.Nov. 16, 1950 Patented Jan. 15, 1952 DOFFING MECHANISM FORRING'SPINNING, DOUBLING, AN D EWISTIN G MACHINES- James JacksonHaythornthwaite, Accrington,

England, assignor-to T. M. M. (Research) Limited, Rossendale, EnglandApplication. November. 16, 1950,.Serial No. 195,961 In Great BritainNovember'29, 1949 *7 Claims. I

Theinvention hasfor its-object-to provide in a-ring spinning, doublingor twisting machine, im-m'ovedmeansfor removing or dofling the yarnpackages from the spindlesat the completion 'of the spinningoperation-Le. when thebuild of a full yarn package is'complete, suchmeans being applicable whether the relative reciprocatory motion betweenthe spindles and'the rings necessaryior the 'formation of the yarnpackages is efiectedby'raising and lowering the spindle rail in.relationto a stationary ring rail, or by reciprocatingmovement of the ringrailin relation to a stationary spindle-rail, or by a combined movement ofboth these elements. in opposite directions.

In a ringspinning, doubling or twisting unit according to the invention,Iprovide mechanism for dofling the yarnpackage, comprising a carriermember detachably mounted on the spindle to "form a supportior the yarnpackage Wound thereon, said carrier member being capable of axialv androtaryv movement relatively to the spindle meansior arresting rotationof the carrier member when the packagereaches the dofling position,acatch ,onthe carriermember for engaging theyarnso that, the carriermember being arrested and the spindles brieflyrotatedthe yarn is drawntaut at the .baseof the package, means iorsseveringtheyarnwhensotautened, and interceptormeans for retaining the carriermemberat the subsequent separation of the spindle andthe ring so thatthe yarn package issupported with freedom for doffingby lateraldisplacement.

The yarn-engaging catch and theyarn-severing means mayboth be mountedon'the carriermemher in, suchv relationship that when the yarn is caughtby the formerit-is drawn taut. acrossa cutting edge ofthelatter.

The carrier member preferably provides a shrouded seating. for the baseof the bobbin,.pirn orlike tubeonvvhichtheyarn package is woundonthespindle, said seating being of such. characterthat when. thespindle. is withdrawn from .the package thelatter will be predisposed totopple laterally as .the lateralssupport hitherto afforded by. thespindle is removed.

The saidinterceptormay take the form of. a narrowplate or bar supportedslidably beneath the ring. rail. and extending throughout the length ofthe machine or of a unitary section thereof, with .a connection at onevend tomeans by which theplate or bar may be reciprocated so thatprojecting portions thereof are engaged with or disengaged from a flangeon each package carrier member. Preferably, two such plates areprovided; being disposed in spaced parallel arrangement one infront ofand 'theotherbehind'the spindle axes, with a yoke connecting said platespackage support member shown separately, as

I viewed respectively fromopposite sides; Fig. 4

is a section of part of the'spinning unit shown in Fig. 1 immediatelyafter thespindle rail" first reaches'the doffingposition, andFig. 5 isafragmentary sectionon the line VV of-Fig. 4; Fig. 6 isasimilar view toFig. 4, but depicts the second stage in the vdoiiing cycle; Fig. 7 isasection'ion the line VII-VII of Fig. 6; Fig. Sis :asimilar view to Fig.1,, showing the third stage inthe dofiing cycle. (Figs. .2"to Bare drawnon a somewhat larger scale than Fig. 1.) Fig. 9 is a-section through aspinning machine, incorporating doffing mechanism as illustrated inFigs. 1 to1i3, and in which the separator plates are adapted to be movedoutwardly to ensure positive do'fling.

The spinning unit to which. the present description relates comprisesthe known elements of a spindle I, rotatably mounted in a bolster2 whichis suitablyfixed in the spindle rail 3', the spindle I wharve beingindicated at l. During the spinning operation, the yarn packageisbuiltupon a, bobbin, pirn or like tube which isplaced uponthespindlathe noseof the package beingarranged .to rproject through a ring5 carried in aringnrail 1. The traveller is indicated at Band thelappetguide at 9-. Fig. 1- depicts thepath of. the yarn as it is drawnfrom the drafting apparatus (not 1 ever assumed for the purpose of 'thepresent tension II of somewhat larger diameter, and a thin basal flangeI2 in the underside of which is fixed a peg I3 for a purpose to bedescribed. A leather or other resilient washer I4 is interposed betweensaid flange I2 and the wharve 4. The extension H has a broad upper facein which is mounted a catch comprising a spring leaf I 5 and a pivotalblock I6 which is urged to bear against the underside of the leaf I5 bya compressed spring I1. On the inner wall of the extension II, at apoint adjacent said catch I5, I6, is mounted a cutter consisting of afiat blade I8 having a vertical cutting edge I9.

The package carrier provides a shrouded seating for the bobbin, pirn orlike tube upon which the yarn package is to be wound, the upwardlydirected face of the body I0 of said package carrier being furnishedwith a quadrantal axial projection 20 which serves as a seat for thebase of a bobbin or the like placed on the spindle, and said bobbin orthe like being so located that the lowermost coil of yarn in the packagewound thereon will occupy a position immediately above the upper face ofthe extension I I. The package carrier is made a loose fit upon the part2| of the spindle blade I (see Fig. 8), so as to be capable of freeaxial and rotary movement in relation thereto.

The ring rail 1 is counter-bored beneath the ring 6 to provide a recess22 capable of accommodating the flange I2 of the package carrier whenthe spindle is raised to the dofiing position, i. e. the position of thespindle relative to the ring in which the whole of the yarn packageprojects upwardly through the ring.

On the underside of the ring rail I are slidably. mounted two parallelinterceptor plates 23 and 24; longitudinal slots 25 in the platescooperate with studs 26 which depend from the rail 1 to guide themovement of the plates, the weight of the latter being supported by theheads of the studs. The two plates 23, 24 are arranged to serve aplurality of spinning units, and are adapted tobe slidden endwise at theappropriate times by mechanical means linked to a yoke 21 which isattached to the ends of the plates, and operating in synchronism withthe packagebuilding and package-doffing mechanism. The plates 23 and 24are fashioned with oppositely disposed inward lateral extensions 28 inrespect of each spinning unit, and each extension 28 of the plate 23includes a lug 29 so located that it will serve as an abutment for thepeg I3 in the package support flange I2.

The doifing operation is performed in the following manner:

It is well known in ring spinning practice, that the yarn passingthrough the traveller between the drafting rollers and the spindle,causes the traveller to be revolved around the ring as the spindlerotates. The traveller rotates at a lesser speed than the spindle,thereby causing the yarn to be wrapped on the bobbin or pirn, thevariation in speed of the traveller being governed by the delivery rateof the drafting rollers. Upon completion of the bobbin, the spindle rail3' is raised to the dofilng position (Fig. 4), whereupon rotation of thespindles and the drafting rollers ceases. It will be noted that the yarnis now lying close against the upper face I I of the package carrier,but it has not entered the catch I5, I6 as this cannot happen whilst thepackage carrier is rotating at spindle speed, and the travellerrevolving at a slower speed in the same direction. The interceptorplates 23, 24 are then moved from the inoperative position shown in Fig.5 to the position shown in Fig. '7, in which the lateral extensions 28of the said plates lie beneath the flange I2 of the package carrier.

A brief rotational impulse is now imparted to the spindle, but therotation of the package carrier in relation to the spindle is arrestedby the impingement of the peg I3 against the lug 29 of the plate 23.Immediately the package carrier stops, the revolving yarn enters thecatch I5, IB thereby arresting the traveller, and as the spindle andbobbin continue part of a revolution the yarn between the bobbin and thecatch I5, I6 is severed against the cutter I 8.

The relative positions of the catch I5, I6 and the peg I3 with respectto the spindle axis are such as to ensure that when the peg I3 abutsagainst the lug 29 of the plate 23, the package carrier is stopped whenthe catch I5, I6 is in the rearmost position as shown in Figs. 6 and 8.This arrangement ensures that the catch arrests the traveller in itsrearmost position, and that the package is not impeded when this isdoffed as hereinafter described.

The spindle rail 3 is now lowered, but the package carrier (and thebobbin or the like and the package supported thereon) are retained inthe dofiing position by the presence of the interceptor plates 23, 24beneath the package carrier flange I2, so that when the spindle railreaches its lowermost position the tip of the spindle blade has beenwithdrawn completely from the bobbin,

or the like. The seat 20 of the package carrier upon which the base ofthe bobbin or the like has been resting, is so located that when the pegI3 is arrested by the lug 29 said seat will occupy a rear position. Thisarrangement, and the restriction of the support afforded by the seat 20to a quadrant of the base of the bobbin, combine to predispose thebobbin and package to topple forwardly as soon as the lateral supporthitherto provided by the spindle has been removed, and doifingautomatically occurs at this stage.

If desired, the lateral displacement of the packages may be effectedpositively by an out-.

ward sweeping movement of the separator plates conventionally providedbetween adjacent spinning units, as shown in Fig. 9, for which purposeadjacent pairs of said plates 30 may be joined in the rear of eachspindle position by a U-shaped connection which, when the plates aremoved outwardly by the operation of a cam 3|, as desubject of myco-pending United States Applica--" tion No. 193,825, new Patent No.2,570,057.

It will be understood that the translational movements of the spindleand the yarn package herein referred to are movements in relation to thering rail and that the references herein contained to the packagereaching the clotting p0 sition or the spindle being "withdrawn from thepackage are intended to include the case in which the doifing positionof the package is reached by a movement of the ring rail and in whichthe ring rail raises the package from the spindle.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A ring spinning, doubling or twisting unit comprising, incombination, a spindle, a spindle rail supporting the spindle, a ring, atraveller supported on the ring, a ring rail supporting the ring, saidring rail being located above the spindle rail and the rails beingmounted for relative vertical movement, a yarn package carrierdetachably supported on the spindle, normally frictionally driven by thespindle, and normally occupying a fixed vertical relation to thespindle, said carrier including a yarn catch and a severing member, aninterceptor carried on the ring rail and shiftable into carriersupporting position to the vertical relation of the carrier to the ringrail preparatory to doiiing, the interceptor including a stop member,said carrier in cluding a stop member engageable with the interceptorstop member for arresting rotation of the carrier with the spindle andthe yarn package.

in motion to cause the yarn to be caught and held taut by the carriercatch and to be severed by the severing member, the interceptor servingto retain the carrier at the subsequent separation of the rail so thatthe yarn package will be supported with freedom for doffing by lateraldisplacement.

2. A spinning or like unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the unit isorganized to require dofiing in a definite direction and in which thecarrier includes a package engaging support for engaging the lower endof the package at only one side thereof, the support and the catch beinglocated at the same side of the carrier, and the carrier and interceptorstop members being disposed to arrest the carrier with the support andthe catch remote from the side of the unit toward which doffing isrequired to be effected.

3. A spinning or like unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the unit isorganized to require dofling in a definite direction and in which thecarrier includes a package engaging support for engaging the lower endof the package at only one side thereof, the support and the catch beinglocated at the same side of the carrier, and the carrier and interceptorstop members being disposed to arrest the carrier with the support andthe catch remote from the side of the unit toward which dofiing isrequired to be effected, the ring rail being formed with a recess in itsunder side for receiving the lower portion of the carrier when doifingis to be efiected, and the interceptor including inwardly projectingmembers movable beneath the carrier and an operating member for shiftingthe interceptor.

4. A spinning or like unit as set forth in claim 1 in which the yarncatch and the severing member of the yarn package carrier are locatedside by side to cause the yarn when engaged by the catch to be drawntaut across a cutting edge of the severing member.

5. A spindle or like unit as set forth in claim 1 in which the packagecarrier comprises an axially bored body having an upward annularextension of larger diameter than the bore and a thin basal flange, thecarrier stop consisting of a peg depending from the flange, and theextension having an upper face mounting the yarn-engaging catch and aninner wall mounting the sever ing member.

6. A spinning or like unit as set forth in claim 1 in which theinterceptor comprises two plates at opposite sides of the spindle axiseach including an inward projection insertable beneath the carrier, andan operating member rigidly connecting the plates to one another attheir ends.

"I. A spinning or like unit as set forth in claim 1 in which a member ismounted behind the vertical axis of each spindle for engaging the rearof the yarn package, and mechanism is pro- No references cited.

